Bucket elevator.



PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

F. A. HETHERINGTON.

BUCKET ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26, 1907.

1% tmeooco affomiaf UNITED STATES FREDERICK A. H TnERINeroN, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA BUCKET ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Applicationfiled April 26. 1907. SeijiallNo. 370.350.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. HETH- ERINGTON, a citizen-ofthe United States, residing at Indianapolis,.in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bucket Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

In the operation of plants for preparing materials for plastic pavements, the sand, rock, etc., is preliminarily heated to a fairly high temperature and then carried by an elevator to a storage bin from which it may be delivered in such quantities as may be desired, to the mixing mechanism. The elevators used for this purpose are generally of I dotted lines in Fig.- 1.

the endless belt type and, as the belts become heated during the-early-hours of the operation of the plant, they elongateand no longer properly fit the pulleys over which they run.

It has heretofore been commonto provide adjusting mechanism by means of whichthe distance between supporting pulleys can be varied, but when such adjustments are made in order to accommodate the lengthened belt or chaln, the operators will ordinarily forget to retract the adjustment when the lant is shut down, and consequently, when t e parts become cool, breakage or improper strains result.

The object of my present invention is to produce an elevator structure capable of automatically compensating for variations in length of the belt.

The accompanying drawingsillustrate my invention. 7

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the elevator structure embodying my invention; Fig. 2 an end elevation of the lower or receiving boot; Fig. 3 an enlarged detail ofmydevice; Fig. 4 a section on line 44 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a section on line 55 of Fig. 3'.

In the drawings 10 indicates a'boot-casing, 11, 11 the tubular u rights and 12. the head casing, all of any we 1 known form and construction. J ournaled in the head casing 12 is ashaft 13 which supports a driving sprocket 14 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) and over this driving sprocket is arranged an ordinary endless elevator chain or belt provided with suitable elevator buckets, as indicated in The boot casing 10 is provided at each side with a vertical slot 20 which is surrounded by a suitable frame 21, said frame 21 being provided with vertical opposed flanges 22 adapted to be received between the ears 23 -of abearing box 24,, adapted .to serve as a bearing for .the idler shaft .25 which carries the idler pulley (shown in dotted lines inFig. 1) to engage and-suppart the endless chain {at its lower bight. Boxing 24 is provided with an upwardlyextending tubular portion 26 within which .ismounted .a suitable compression spring :27, thelower end of which rests upon the bottom flanges 22 theframe 21 is provided with a pair of horizontal vertically-separatedcross "bars 28 through which is passed a vertical adjusting screw 29. Screw 29 is provided at its :lower end with a head 30 and .a small ,portion ,31 immediately above the head, the

inserted in the upper end ofitube 26 so as-to. engage the '11 per end of spring 2.7. toprevent t e withdrawal of head 30- from tube 26 I project a pair of keys 32 trans versely through the sleeve 26 above the head 30. In order to avoid the necessity and expense of threading the cross bars 28, I make the'screw 29 of astandard size and thread and place between the cross bars 28 a nut 35, said nut being prevented from turning by the adjacent vertical vportionsof the frame 21, and vertical movement bein prevented by the two bars 28. Threade upon screw 29 above the upper bar 28 is a c eck-nut 36. As the chain becomes elongated by heat, the screws 29 are adjusted downward so as to carry shaft 25 downward and keep its pulley sufficiently tight within the lower bightof the'chain, this adjustment being accomplished without any material compression ofs rin s 27. When .the a paratus cools and t e c ain shortens, the s aft 25 is free to yield upwardly by compressing the springs 27 so that no injurious stresses are produced and, when the plant is again started and the chain becomes gradually heated the sprin s will automatically compensate for t e e ongation.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, with an elevatorcasing, of a pair of su porting-wheels mounted one in each end t ereof, a pair'of wheels, a tubu ar sleeve carried by each of said journal bearings substantially at right angles to the bearing, a compression sprmg mounted in said sleeve, and an adjustable construction-being such that head 30 may be Inorder journal bearin s for the shaft of one of said of the tube 26. At the upper end of the abutment mounted on the casing and threaded rod passing adapted toenter said sleeve and have a relative longitudinal movement therein against the spring.

2. The combination, with an elevator casing, of a pair of su porting-wheels mounted one in each'end t ereof, a pair of journal bearin s for the shaft of one of said wheels,

a tubu ar sleeve carried by each of said journal bearings substantially at right angles to the bearin and each provided at one end with a pair of separated cross bars, a nut arranged between said bars and held against rotation, a

through said nut, a journal bearing having a tubular portion adapted to receive the adjacent-end of said threaded rod, a compression spring arranged in said tubular portion beneath the inserted end of the threaded rod, a carrier-supporting jwheelcarried bysaid journal bearings within the casing, a second carrier-supporting wheel stantially as and for the In witness whereof, I, ave hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis,

also supported within the casing, and an endless carrier mounted upon said wheels, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with an elevator case ing, of a frame 21 carried at each side thereof and each provided at oneend with a pair of separated cross bars, a nut arranged between said bars and held -against rotation, a

threaded rod passing through said nut, a journal bearing having a tubular portion adapted to receive the adjacent end of said threaded rod, a compression spring arranged in said tubular portion beneath the inserted end of the threaded rod, riieans for normally preventing withdrawal of the sleeve from the rod, a carrier-supporting wheel carried by said journal bearings within the casing, a second carrier-supporting wheel also supported within the casing, and an endless carrier mounted upon said wheels, all suburpose set forth.

Indiana, this twenty-second day of- April, A D. one thousand nine hundred and seven.

4 FREDERICK A. HETHERINGTON. [I]. 5.]

Witnesses: ARTHUR. M. Hoon, THOMAS W. MCMEANS. 

